Gas Line Services in Mount Rainier, MD

Gas work in an early-1900s town

Mount Rainier began as a streetcar suburb right on the District line, and much of the town is a National Register historic district full of Craftsman homes and Sears kit houses. The median home was built in 1952, one of the oldest housing stocks in the county. Gas piping in these houses has usually been reworked several times as heating, cooking and hot water changed over the decades, leaving a mix of old threaded pipe, newer runs and sometimes abandoned stubs.

Washington Gas serves Prince George's County, and BGE serves some areas, so confirm the company on your gas bill. Although the town borders Washington, it is in Prince George's County, so county and WSSC rules apply, not the District's. WSSC Water issues permits for and inspects plumbing and all natural gas and LP gas installations in the county, and furnace and gas water heater replacements must be done by a plumber or gasfitter holding a WSSC license. The city's Code Compliance Department issues city building permits and notes that some permits come from the county, so a remodel that moves a gas range may involve more than one office.

Patch, extend or rerun?

Signs to watch for

• Any gas odor: leave the house, then call 911 and Washington Gas
• A hiss at a basement valve or the meter
• Lazy yellow flames on the stove or water heater
• Soot on the chimney thimble or around a vent connector

Timing and seasonal notes

Older houses can be drafty, and on the coldest nights the furnace and water heater run nearly nonstop, which is when a weak line or a balky regulator shows itself. Early fall is a sensible time to have gas connections looked at. If you're planning a kitchen or basement renovation, bring gas piping into the plan early so permits and inspections fit the schedule.